Tag: United Kingdom

  • Campaigners Attack ‘Absurd’ Claim About Cost of Smoking

    Campaigners Attack ‘Absurd’ Claim About Cost of Smoking

    Simon Clark (Photo: Forest)

    Smokers’ rights campaigners have rejected a claim that smokers cost society £17 billion ($23.3 billion) a year in the U.K.—£5 billion more than previously estimated.

    On Jan. 14, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) published an economic analysis of U.K. data suggesting that the cost of smoking is significantly higher than previous estimates have shown.

    The higher estimate is a result of a new assessment of the impact of smoking on productivity. According to ASH, smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to become ill while of working age, increasing the likelihood being out of work and reducing the average wages of smokers. Smokers are also more likely to die while they are still of working age, creating a further loss to the economy.

    The report also cites smoking-related fires as a major cost to society, in the form of fire-related deaths, injuries and property damage.

    “The suggestion that smokers are a significant economic burden on society is absurd,” countered Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest.

    “More than 80 percent of the cost of tobacco in the UK is tax and the revenue from the sale of legal tobacco is almost £10 billion a year. That’s a fact.

    “In contrast, the contrived claim that smoking costs society £17 billion is based on nothing more than estimates and calculations.

    “As well as making a huge contribution to the public purse, smokers make a significant contribution to the local economy because without the money they spend on tobacco many village shops and convenience stores would lose a regular source of income.

    “The health risks of smoking are well known. If adults choose to smoke that’s a matter for them not government. Ministers must remember that and not be swayed by exaggerated claims about the cost of smoking to society.”

  • Industry up in Arms Over Anti-Vaping Report

    Industry up in Arms Over Anti-Vaping Report

    Photo: deagreez

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has labeled an anti-vaping report in The Lancet “incredulous, laughable, untrue and extremely worrying.”

    The authors of The Lancet article contest the suggestion that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently announced plans to allow healthcare providers to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, they write, could prove as harmful as the endorsement of tobacco by physicians between 1920 and 1950.

    “We have the greatest respect for the medical profession but for one of its leading journals to carry an article which states that there is no robust evidence to show that vaping has accelerated smoking cessation is quite unbelievable and completely untrue,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement.

    “Worryingly this isn’t just an article questioning the clinical evidence basis for vaping as a harm reduction tool. Everything about it smacks of anti-vaping propaganda starting with the suggestion that the market is all the making of tobacco companies to line their pockets. This is an insult to all the independent companies across the U.K. and globally who make up the vast majority of the players in the sector and who have not just contributed positively to public health by helping 2.4 million former smokers in the U.K. completely quit their habits but have created huge numbers of jobs at the same time and one of the fastest growing industry’s this century, thereby making a massive contribution to our economy. Our membership is testament to this—out of our nearly 100 members, some 95 percent have no affiliation to tobacco companies.

    “Such a highly respected journal as The Lancet should know better when running articles and look at all the evidence that is available and opinions across the healthcare spectrum. Instead, the report which is carried completely ignores research which has clearly shown on more than one occasion vaping to have a hugely positive impact on smoking cessation, and significantly more so than NRTs.

    For one of its leading journals to carry an article which states that there is no robust evidence to show that vaping has accelerated smoking cessation is quite unbelievable and completely untrue.

    John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

    “The article’s assertion that the pro-vaping stance of Public Health England contradicts the rest of the world is nothing short of laughable, choosing to ignore the positions of the likes of Cancer Research UK—which says on its website that there is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer—and the Royal College of Physicians who have both publicly recognized the harm reduction opportunity that vaping offers over smoking. The report also ignores large scale research which backs up the public health potential of e-cigarettes, such as the study produced by the British Heart Foundation and the University of Dundee which suggested that vaping may be less harmful to blood vessels than smoking cigarettes.

    “It’s these types of one-sided and misleading articles that leave smokers and vapers confused and questioning the health benefits of vaping versus smoking, leading to them either continuing with or returning to smoking. But, whilst we’re not getting data from hospitals and doctors suggesting that we should be worried about the effects of vaping—and, let’s face it, we would have heard by now given vape products have been available in this country for more than a decade, what is undeniable is that smoking kills—some 78,000 people a year to be exact—and the very death toll that vaping is helping to address. Instead, the report in The Lancet blames the U.K. government for its pro-vaping stance and highlights that they are in danger of presiding over what will be the biggest public health disaster in U.K. history.

    “As a responsible industry, we’re more than up for continued independent clinical research into the long term impact of vaping, to prove once and for all that vaping is the biggest public health prize seen this century.”

  • U.K. Vaping Hits Record High as Tobacco Smoking Drops

    U.K. Vaping Hits Record High as Tobacco Smoking Drops

    Photo: Rain

    The number of people who vape in the U.K. has risen to its highest level since records began while the number of U.K. adults who smoke has fallen below 14 percent for the first time in years, according to just released government figures.

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its annual report into smoking prevalence in the U.K., which includes figures on the number of adults who vape, just one month after the Department of Health’s announcement that vaping devices could soon be prescribed to smokers through the National Health Service.

    In 2014, when data on the number of U.K. vapers started being collected, 3.7 percent of the population reported using e-cigarettes. In 2020, that had risen to 6.4 percent, equivalent to around 3.3 million people.

    The report also reveals that the number of adult smokers in the U.K. currently stands at 13.8 percent of the population—its lowest percentage since at least 2015.

    “This is a hugely welcome announcement as everyone on the side of harm reduction knows that vaping is far less harmful than smoking—by as much as 95 percent, according to the former health protection watchdog Public Health England [now part of the U.K. Health Security Agency]—so more people vaping and less smoking can only be cause for celebration,” said John Dunne, director-general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, in a statement.

    This is a hugely welcome announcement as everyone on the side of harm reduction knows that vaping is far less harmful than smoking.

    John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA

    The ONS Smoking Prevalence Report highlighted that the number of ex-smokers who now vape had risen from 11.7 percent in 2019 to 12.3 percent while the number of smokers who also vape increased from 15.5 percent in 2019 to 17.8 percent in 2020.

    However, according to the ONS monthly data, smoking rates rose sharply during the pandemic and national lockdown to a peak of 16.3 percent in August before slowly decreasing to 13.8 percent by the end of 2020.

    “While this rise in smoking prevalence during lockdown could be attributed to increased anxiety because of the pandemic, I would also point toward the fact that specialty vape shops were not granted ‘essential retail’ status and therefore had to close their doors as another significant contributing factor,” said Dunne.

  • Vapor Companies Vying for U.K. Medical Licenses

    Vapor Companies Vying for U.K. Medical Licenses

    Photo: makistock

    Vapor companies are vying to get their product prescribed by the U.K. National Health Service after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency last month encouraged companies to apply for a medical license, reports The Financial Times.

    Companies preparing applications include U.S.-based NJOY, DSL Group, which owns Nottingham-based Multivape, Yatzz of Ireland and Leeds-based Superdragon, whose director David Xiu described the potential market as “much more than a multimillion-pound” opportunity.

    The e-cigarette market is worth more than £2 billion ($2.66 billion) in the U.K., according to Euromonitor, much more than in other European countries.

    As of yet, none of the leading tobacco companies have launched medicinal-use applications for the vapor brands.

    Imperial Brands, the U.K. owner of Blu e-cigarettes, said it was “carefully studying the new guidance.” Japan Tobacco International said it had “not made any decisions regarding licenses” for its Logic brand of vapes. Juul Labs said it had “nothing to announce at this time.”

    British American Tobacco, which owns Vuse, declined to comment.

    BAT-backed nicotine inhaler Voke received U.K. medical approval in 2014, but was scrapped after financing and manufacturing difficulties.

    The medical device will be locked down to a significant degree, with changes only possible infrequently and after jumping through a lot of hoops.

    Erik Bloomquist

    Tobacco analyst Erik Bloomquist said companies may prefer commercial routes due to the length of the approval process. Licensing could take several years, during which time products can become out of date.

    “The medical device will be locked down to a significant degree, with changes only possible infrequently and after jumping through a lot of hoops,” he said.

    Compliance costs could also be prohibitive for smaller groups. Chris Allen, chief scientific officer at consultancy Broughton, said clinical trials, marketing and compliance costs could amount to as much as £3 million to £5 million for a single product. This means that “only a handful of companies would look at this path,” he said in a statement.

  • Doctors Reluctant to Prescribe E-Cigarettes

    Doctors Reluctant to Prescribe E-Cigarettes

    Photo: omphoto

    Not all doctors and nurses are enthusiastic about England’s intention to let physicians prescribe e-cigarettes to smokers, reports Daily Mail.

    A yet-to-be-published study, involving the University of Oxford, which interviewed 11 medical staff, found most struggled to advise long-term use of e-cigarettes because of concerns about unknown long-term effects.

    A survey commissioned by Cancer Research UK two years ago indicates that two in five English nurses and doctors would feel uncomfortable recommending e-cigarettes to smokers and one in six would never do so.

    General practitioners “find it difficult handing patients something which may cause them harm, even where e-cigarettes are far safer than cigarettes… They struggle to give people devices which may not be entirely safe or may perpetuate addiction to nicotine,” said Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioral medicine at the University of Oxford, who was involved in both pieces of research.

    Martin Marshall of the Royal College of general practitioners urged more investment in community smoking cessation centers. “’Vaping should only be seen as a way to give up smoking, with the intention to then give up vaping,” he said.

    Simon Capewell, professor of clinical epidemiology at Liverpool University, called the Department of Health plan for prescription e-cigarettes deeply worrying.

    “England is out on a dangerous limb,” he said. “Officials here have fallen for the exaggerated claims of the pro-vaping lobby, and are ignoring the health risks. The main claim, that e-cigarettes are a major aid to quitting, is wrong. If that were true, why would the multinational tobacco corporations be pushing vaping so hard?”

  • England Paves Way for E-Cig Prescriptions

    England Paves Way for E-Cig Prescriptions

    Photo: goodmanphoto

    Doctors in England may soon be prescribing e-cigarettes to help people stop smoking tobacco, according to a news story published by the Department of Health Social Care and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is publishing updated guidance that paves the way for medicinally licensed e-cigarette products to be prescribed for smoking cessation.

    Manufacturers can approach the MHRA to submit their products to go through the same regulatory approvals process as other medicines available on the health service.

    This could mean England becomes the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes licensed as a medical product.

    If a product receives MHRA approval, clinicians could then decide on a case-by-case basis whether it would be appropriate to prescribe an e-cigarette to NHS patients to help them quit smoking. It remains the case that non-smokers and children are strongly advised against using e-cigarettes.

    This country continues to be a global leader on healthcare, whether it’s our Covid-19 vaccine rollout saving lives or our innovative public health measures reducing people’s risk of serious illness.

    Sajid Javid, Health and Social Care Secretary

    If a product receives MHRA approval, clinicians could then decide on a case-by-case basis whether it would be appropriate to prescribe an e-cigarette to NHS patients to help them quit smoking. It remains the case that non-smokers and children are strongly advised against using e-cigarettes.

    E-cigarettes contain nicotine and are not risk free, but expert reviews from the U.K. and U.S. have been clear that the regulated e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking. A medicinally licensed e-cigarette would have to pass even more rigorous safety checks.

    Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature death and while rates are at record low levels in the U.K., there are still around 6.1 million smokers in England. There are also stark differences in rates across the country, with smoking rates in Blackpool (23.4 percent) and Kingston upon Hull (22.2 percent) poles apart from rates in wealthier areas such as Richmond upon Thames (8 percent).

    E-cigarettes were the most popular aid used by smokers trying to quit in England in 2020, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. E-cigarettes have been shown to be highly effective in supporting those trying to quit, with 27.2 percent of smokers using them compared with 18.2 percent using nicotine replacement therapy products such as patches and gum.

    Some of the highest success rates of those trying to quit smoking are among people using an e-cigarette to kick their addiction alongside local Stop Smoking services, with up to 68 percent successfully quitting in 2020 -2021.

    We fully welcome the news that the NHS in England is exploring opportunities to prescribe vaping products to help people quit smoking.

    Doug Mutter, director, VPZ

    “This country continues to be a global leader on healthcare, whether it’s our Covid-19 vaccine rollout saving lives or our innovative public health measures reducing people’s risk of serious illness,” said Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid.

    “Opening the door to a licensed e-cigarette prescribed on the NHS has the potential to tackle the stark disparities in smoking rates across the country, helping people stop smoking wherever they live and whatever their background.”

    Vapor industry representative welcomed the prospect of e-cigarettes on prescription.

    “We fully welcome the news that the NHS in England is exploring opportunities to prescribe vaping products to help people quit smoking,” said Doug Mutter, director of VPZ, the U.K.’s largest vaping retailer with 157 stores throughout the country.

    “The pandemic has triggered an increase in smoking rates and the public health problem has been compounded by funding cuts for NHS stop smoking services and local support groups.

     “However this progressive and innovative approach being considered by the NHS in England has the potential to reverse this damage and bring new momentum to our ambitions of becoming a smoke free nation by 2030.”

    The government deserves huge praise for taking this bold decision to look more closely at the use of vaping when it comes to smoking cessation and for taking an evidence-based, science-led approach.

    John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA

    “The government deserves huge praise for taking this bold decision to look more closely at the use of vaping when it comes to smoking cessation and for taking an evidence-based, science-led approach rather than the nonsensical anti-vaping, anti-harm reduction stance of some countries,” said John Dunne, Director General of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association.

    “This announcement by the Department for Health is just the latest in a long line of breakthroughs for those of us who for years have advocated vaping as the best and most effective method for people looking to quit smoking.”

  • Long Awaited Juul2 Device Launches in U.K. Market

    Long Awaited Juul2 Device Launches in U.K. Market

    Photo: steheap

    Juul Labs has unveiled its JUUL2 device in the U.K.

    The device features a more consistent vapor experience, a longer battery life and anti-counterfeit technology.

    Launching initially on the Juul.co.uk website on Sept. 30, the JUUL2 system has been updated from previous versions with new technology and features based on feedback from smokers.

    Among other features, the JUUL2 features a more consistent vapor experience, a longer battery life and a smart light system communicating e-liquid level and battery life.

    The JUUL2 also comes with newly designed tobacco and menthol JUUL2 pods (18 mg/mL nicotine strength) and technology to prevent unauthorized use. The device will not work when it detects counterfeit pods.

    “We are pleased to launch the next-generation JUUL2 in the U.K.,” Juul Labs’ EMEA vice president, Dan Thomson, said in a statement. “A key part of our mission is to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes, the leading cause of preventable death in the world, killing some 90,000 Britons annually.

    “We believe the best method to switch adult smokers from combustible cigarettes to a potentially less harmful noncombustible alternative is to provide a product that closely resembles the consistency and experience of smoking. With JUUL2, we believe we are taking another step in that direction as we aim to transition even more adult smokers.”

    A retail roll-out is planned for early 2022, and all U.K. retailers stocking JUUL products will continue to uphold the company’s Challenge 25 age verification policy, which includes continued mystery shopping audits.

  • UKVIA Issues Compliance Guidance for Disposables

    UKVIA Issues Compliance Guidance for Disposables

    Photo: steheap

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has issued compliance guidance for U.K. retailers who sell disposable vape products. Earlier, the association had called on regulators to crack down on resellers and retailers who were found to be flouting U.K. regulations for such products.

    An investigation by the UKVIA has revealed mounting evidence of illicit and inappropriately branded disposable vape products hitting the U.K. market and noncompliant sales of such products, particularly in convenience shops and on major online marketplaces. U.K. regulations mean they should contain no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine, yet evidence collected by the UKVIA reveals that some listed as this amount contain higher concentrations of nicotine and some products are being openly sold with 50mg/ml strength. Furthermore, product packaging is not including warnings about the nicotine content, which is a legal requirement.

    The association has been in discussions with the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Trading Standards to address the problem.

    “We are doing all we can as a trade association to ensure the industry’s reputation is not tarnished by a minority of resellers and retailers intent on making a quick buck out of a trending product,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement. “Whilst disposables have a major role to play in the vape market, like all products they need to adhere to the legislation.

    “Our guidance is designed to ensure retailers keep on the right side of the law. We’re also working closely and are in discussions with leading disposable vape product manufacturers and the major online marketplaces to ensure they play a key role in taking a hard line against those behind the sale of non-compliant products in the country.”

    The free guide, available for download here, which has been produced in conjunction with leading vaping compliance specialists, Arcus Compliance, provides information on current UK regulations in relation to tank/reservoir capacity of devices, nicotine levels and the elements that must be contained on packaging. It also provides details in respect to registrations with and notifications from the MHRA.

  • Calls for Action Against Noncompliant Products

    Calls for Action Against Noncompliant Products

    Photo: auremar

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling for tough action against resellers of noncompliant disposable vape products.

    During an investigation, the trade group found that there are significant numbers of noncompliant products entering the U.K. and being sold in particular by convenience shops and on major online marketplaces.

    “We are calling upon regulators and the online marketplaces to robustly enforce current regulations and do much more in order to ‘clean up’ the disposable vapes market,” said John Dunne, director general at the UKVIA, in a statement.

    The disposable vape sector has enjoyed a significant revival in recent years, appealing as an entry point for adult smokers looking to quit conventional cigarettes. However, an investigation by the UKVIA has identified that illegal products are re-entering the U.K. market. The problem, according to the group, lies with some distributors who are flouting U.K. regulations and managing to get these products imported into the country and sell them onto traders and retailers; as well as a lack of proper scrutiny on major online marketplaces.

    Disposable vapes are pre-filled with e-liquids and cost around £6 ($8.27) each. U.K. regulations stipulate that they should contain no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine, yet evidence collected by the UKVIA reveals that some listed as this amount contain higher concentrations of nicotine and some products are being openly sold with 50mg/ml strength. Furthermore, product packaging is often missing warnings about the nicotine content, which is a legal requirement.

    The UKVIA has been in discussions with the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates vape products and trading standards, to address the situation. In a major crackdown on unscrupulous suppliers, the association is providing guidance on official distributors and disposable vape products to its members as well as looking at the idea of licensing vape shops to fund enforcement. It’s also working with manufacturers of disposable vapes to ensure they are doing all that is possible to monitor and audit their distributors.

    “Robust enforcement of the current regulations is the only answer and it’s needed now,” said Dunne. “We can provide support to the regulators and educate the industry on how to distinguish between what’s a compliant product or not; and we are in the process of doing this. However, we are not in a position to come down heavy on those breaking the law; that lies with the regulators.

     “The vaping sector’s reputation, that the industry has taken years to build up, and which has made it one of the most successful business markets in the 21st century to date, is being threatened by a minority intent on making a quick buck out of a popular product, and we will not stand back and just watch it happen. Disposables have a major role to play in the vape market, but like all products they need to adhere to the legislation.”

  • NICE Guidance States E-Cigarettes as Effective as NRTs

    NICE Guidance States E-Cigarettes as Effective as NRTs

    New draft guidance from the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) states that healthcare professionals can recommend e-cigarettes, or vaping devices, as a means to help patients stop smoking. The guidance states that evidence suggests that e-cigarettes have a similar effectiveness to short- and long-acting nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) in helping people to stop smoking.

    Credit: Balint Radu

    E-cigarettes or vaping devices are not licensed as medicines, but they are regulated by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations. Unlike NRT they are not available on prescription, however NICE said that people should be able to use them to help stop smoking if they wanted to do so, according to gponline. It added that combining behavioral support with either NRT or e-cigarettes was more likely to help people successfully stop smoking than vaping or NRT alone.

    Patients who do choose to use e-cigarettes to help them quit should be warned that the long-term health impacts of their use is still unknown, NICE said. Patients should also be told where to find advice on how to use them and told to stop smoking completely if they decide to use e-cigarettes.

    NICE recommended that further research should be undertaken in this area, including on whether vaping devices could be used in pregnancy.

    However, the guidance highlighted that the MHRA was monitoring possible short- and long-term harms of e-cigarette use and, as at March 2020, ‘no major concerns had been identified’. It recommended that healthcare professionals providing stop smoking advice should report any adverse events as a result of e-cigarette use.

    The guidance also makes a series of new recommendations to identify and support pregnant women who smoke, including that all pregnant women have routine carbon monoxide testing at antenatal appointments to assess their exposure to tobacco smoke.